


Green-Eyed Monsters

by kendokao



Category: Dragon Ball
Genre: Brothers, Canon Era, Gen, Jealousy, Short & Sweet, Sibling Rivalry
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-07-01
Updated: 2015-07-01
Packaged: 2018-04-07 01:47:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 535
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4244895
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kendokao/pseuds/kendokao
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>No big brother wants to be outdone by his younger sibling. Of Super Saiyans, surprises, and a certain unwelcome feeling.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Green-Eyed Monsters

For the most part, Gohan was not a jealous boy. While his childhood had been… unconventional, to say the least, he had never really harbored any bitterness or hard feelings about it. So he had endured a few hardships – a kidnapping here, a beating there, a broken neck, a shattered arm – but most of them had been in the name of the greater good, and besides, he’d been allowed to live a (relatively) normal life when it was all over, hadn’t he?

Still, a certain unpleasant feeling reared its ugly head that first afternoon training with Goten. Much as Gohan hated to admit it, he was jealous.

It had taken a while, but as Gohan grew up, he finally allowed himself to let go of his self-doubt and take some pride in his abilities. When it came to fighting, he was the kind of good that couldn’t be compensated for by training alone. Case and point: it’s one thing for your father to tell you to become stronger than him in less than a year when you’re significantly behind him as is, and another thing altogether to pull it off. Not to mention that he had mastered his Super Saiyan form at the tender age of 10, within months of attaining it in the first place.

But even so, none of it had been quite so… effortless as Goten’s achievements. Gohan had tackled his training with utmost determination. Attaining Super Saiyan had been a struggle, and he prayed to whatever gods actually answered prayers (he never prayed to Dende because praying to your friend is weird, even when said friend is your planet’s designated god) that Goten would never find himself in the kind of circumstances that had pushed Gohan beyond the Super Saiyan boundary. He would gladly relive every painful moment in his life if it meant his baby brother could be spared the same fate. He would, but…

That didn’t stop that unwelcome feeling from flaring up every time Goten’s wide green eyes met his own.

In the midst of this, some part of Gohan’s brain had managed to remain logical and was processing the newfound information that had sent the rest of his mind reeling. _He’ll be much less of a distraction now that you can use him as a sparring partner,_ Logical Gohan pointed out. _It’s really quite a boon to your training._

_What, no mention of the fact that MOM TAUGHT HIM HOW TO SPAR?!_ Jealous Gohan screamed. 

_Okay, there’s that,_ Logical Gohan conceded, _but now you know he’s got a good foundation in the bas—Ohshitpayattentionherehecomes!_

Internal debate came to a halt as Gohan reacted to block Goten’s punch. Dodge, block, there-he-comes-watch-his-left. Adrenaline rushed through him as old instincts resurfaced, keeping him a step ahead of Goten’s flurry of attacks. Gohan maneuvered upward along the cliff as he defended, taking to the air when he reached the top, only to be met by surprise number three of the day: 

“NO FAIR GOING INTO THE SKY WHERE I CAN’T CATCH YOU!” 

_No way… You’ve got to be kidding me…_

Logical Gohan’s jaw dropped, his body numb with shock. Jealous Gohan retreated almost immediately… but not before having a good chuckle. 

**Author's Note:**

> Repost from ff.net & LJ, circa 2011.


End file.
